Science teachers rewriting Science education

What makes us different?

We're teachers. We know, in minute detail, from daily experience what is working and what desperately needs fixing. We have a high opinion of the opinion of teachers. All the contributors to this project are practicing science teachers.

We believe that the needs of future scientists/doctors/engineers/etc are not being met by the current differentiated versions of the same course. As a start, we are developing a course which will be a good A-level training, but which can be used alongside current GCSE courses and exams.

We believe that providing for the differing needs of future scientists begins in year 8; year 10 is too late. We are constructing a single-stage, 5-year science curriculum.

We are following a logical process of bottom-up curriculum design and this collaborative site both documents the progress of and the evidence for consensus ideas.

We advocate the need for "critical thinking", the importance of appreciating evidence and a proper development of the ideas of what science is and how science progresses — not the over-simplification that "how science works" has become.

We value an evidence-based approach to teaching science that rests upon scientifically-valid research. We structure the curriculum to exhibit a logical ordering of concepts that tell coherent 'stories'. Concrete and abstract concepts are recognised and dealt with appropriately.

We recognise the importance of a properly constructed curriculum in bringing long-term stability to Science education — removing the constant cycle of change that undermines our capacity to teach.

Milestones

Fight Club: Is the Science curriculum serving the needs of future scientists?The Times Online Live Debate
4 March 2010
Alom debates with David McVean, QCDALearn more and read online

Science and Mathematics Secondary Education for the 21st CenturyReport of the BIS Science and Learning Expert Group
February 2010
Andrew and Stu were able to contribute to the Group's consultation processDownload full report (pdf)

Scientist condemns QCDA
24 January 2010Michael de Podesta: Lunatics have taken over the asylumlearn more

Alom takes part in public debate with Science Minister
30 November 2009
Watch Alom take the opportunity to get his point across to Lord Drayson at a public debate hosted by Professor Brian Cox: Blue skies ahead? The prospects for UK science (from the 11-minute and 52-minute marks)

We, like several other science teachers we have spoken to, have become worried about the downward spiral of science education in this country.

In 2002, the House of Commons science and technology committee described science education as failing to inspire or prepare students for study post-16 or even to provide a general science education at all.

Partially in response to this, new science curricula were developed and introduced in 2006. While it is fair to acknowledge that this has yielded some successes, it is equally fair to acknowledge that since their release, the new specifications and assessments have been criticised harshly by some - including Ofqual - for letting down the students who we would hope would go on to become our scientists, engineers and doctors of the future. Unfortunately, some of the committee's criticisms are still valid today, seven years on.

This summer, the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency quietly sought the opinions of science teachers regarding a review of these "new" statutory science criteria. The low levels of marketing and user-friendliness of the consultation, however, have frustrated many of us who were aware of the process. Further, it would appear that only minor changes will be made to the criteria, sealing the fate of our scientists and engineers of the future for perhaps another five years.

Apathetic and accepting as teachers can sometimes be, the seeming lack of interest by government in the views of the science teaching profession have finally goaded us into some positive action.

We have launched this collaborative website so that science teachers can constructively share ideas regarding how to address the failings of the current system of science education and, more importantly, attempt to arrive at a viable better alternative. A science teachers' science curriculum, if you like. This may turn out to be a long-term project, but in the short-term may also produce ideas of immediate value to individual science teachers.

We think that it's time to stop moaning to each other in corridors and classrooms and use our skills to show Government what they are missing by not valuing our opinion when they write their curricula.

Physics participation and policies: Lessons from abroad
Alan Smithers and Pamela Robinson (University of Buckingham), 11 December 2009"… In organising school science education, countries face a dilemma: do they gear it mainly to the science professionals of the future or to science for citizens so that all can participate in a society’s decision-making about scientific issues? …"Download executive summary

Learning lessons from the teachersThe Telegraph, 11 December 2009Read online

Good grades in GCSE science to be harder to getThe Times, 5 December 2009Read online

Science GCSEs are to include more demanding mathsBBC News, 4 December 2009Read online